ART kits released from govt stockpile to ease shortage at retail stores

The Government released supplies of antigen rapid test (ART) kits from its stockpile to retailers last week after a sudden surge in demand for them, the Ministry of Health (MOH) said yesterday.

It was responding to queries from The Straits Times following a report on Feb 9 that demand for ART kits had spiked, especially during the Chinese New Year period.

Retailers had said their kits were snapped up upon hitting the stores, and they were ordering more to replenish their stocks.

"The Government has built up a stockpile of ART kits to... mitigate any sudden disruption in supplies globally or sudden surge in demand in Singapore," said the ministry.

"When there is shortage, the Government releases supplies from its stockpile to retailers. We did so last week, in response to requests from retailers."

MOH added: "The recent demand for test kits has also risen as the population takes on greater social responsibility to perform more regular self-testing."

Reported Covid-19 cases peaked on Tuesday at 19,420 - the highest since the pandemic hit Singapore in January 2020. There were 18,545 cases yesterday, with 1,472 patients hospitalised, 164 who needed oxygen and 32 in the intensive care unit. There were also four deaths.

Since the sale of ART kits began in pharmacies last June, about nine million kits have been sold at retail stores, the ministry said.

The Government has also distributed close to 25 million ART kits to households via two nationwide distributions from August to September and October to December last year, with each household provided with a total of 16 kits.

MOH did not indicate if there would be another round of ART kit distribution to households.